Product Review: The Nubagg Lets You Reuse Your Plastic Bags As a Garbage Can

Garbage cans belong to that group of mundane household items that have been around for so long that it seems there really isn’t much that can be done to improve on their design. Or so we thought. Industrial designer Arnold Castro recently introduced us to the Nubagg, and at first glance, we could hardly tell that it was a trash receptacle at all. With no walls or sides, Castro’s design basically consists of what he calls a “freakishly lightweight” metal frame that is used as a support for the plastic bags you bring home from the supermarket. We were very interested in the Nubagg‘s extremely minimalist design and the way it encourages reuse, so we decided to take it for a test drive to see how well it would stand up to our trash. Read on for our full review.

The beauty of the Nubagg is that it allows you to save money by substituting plastic bags you get at the store for garbage bags. But since we already do that (using regular trash cans), we weren’t quite sure what the added benefits might be. Upon checking it out more carefully, we realized that its design, which features two protruding bars for you to sling your bag handles over, solves one of our biggest pet peeves – when the sides of our bags cave in and we have to reach into the muck to readjust them. We also noticed that we had to take the garbage out less with the Nubagg because it can be filled up to the full capacity of each bag and is not restricted by walls. If you’ve ever picked up a full-looking trash bag to go throw it out and realized that there was still a lot of room in the bag itself, you’ll see why it’s better to use each bag to its full capacity.

The one precaution we did have about the Nubagg was that it probably should not be used with just one bag unless you’re only trashing dry goods. Double or triple bagging is a better idea, especially in the kitchen, but the upside to this is that the Nubagg can do double duty as a plastic bag storage unit. Just keep all of your bags on there and when the top few are full, throw them (and the trash) away to reveal clean bags underneath.

In addition to being a vehicle for the reuse and recycling of bags, the Nubagg is, itself, recycled. The body is made of 100% recycled metal and weighs about 1 lb., cutting down on the fuel needed to ship it. The box it’s shipped in is also recycled.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on your own modern Nubagg, they recently launched an Indiegogo campaign where your contribution of $20 will not only help you get this product off the ground, but also score you a Nubagg Classic (or a Nubagg mini for $15) just in time for the holidays.